Dealing With Intrusive Thoughts

In today’s social media age, it can be very easy to pick up on negative, intrusive thoughts. Whether they be related to how you view yourself, other people, or the world around you, the underlying negative theme tends to be the same. Some of it comes from the news. Some of it comes from taking in viewpoints and opinions of mentally cluttered people. Other times it can be self-generated as a byproduct of being over-stimulated or consuming too much online content.

Let Them Be

The good thing about thoughts is that they are just thoughts. They don’t hold any real weight in and of themselves. In most cases, simply being aware of your thoughts is enough. Thoughts come and go. By placing your awareness over them, you are poking a hole in them, and they will eventually fizzle out.

In most cases, the things that you are thinking about or worrying about aren’t as bad as you are mentally making them out to be. And almost all of the time, the things you are thinking about have absolutely nothing to do with your present-moment situation.

Thinking can be focused and constructive, or it can be aimless, toxic, and destructive. The good news is that as human beings, we have the ability to make that choice. We have the power to control our own thinking, and to use our minds as a tool rather than a destructive weapon. Finding that harmony is the key to true happiness.

Let Them Pass

Underneath the flow of thinking that passes through your mind, the one thing that stays present and consistent is you. Anything that comes and goes is not true in an eternal sense. Although it may (or may not) be a relative truth, it is not an absolute, eternal truth.

In some cases, it may be possible to take actions that improve the quality of your thinking. Sometimes thoughts can be a pointer in encouraging you to take that action. However, in many cases, whatever you are thinking about may not be directly able to be acted upon at the present moment.

I had a conversation with my Grandfather a few years ago where he made a similar point. He explained to me that he would find himself thinking about work even at the end of the day when he was no longer at work. He was mentally bringing his work home with him, which was not only compromising the enjoyment of his free time, but was a waste of energy considering he wasn’t getting paid while at home. For that reason, he told me that he started making a conscious effort to put more attention into his genuine hobbies and interests at the end of his day rather than sit around and think about work.

Focus on What You Are Doing

Over-thinking is basically useless. In fact, humans tend to perform most effectively when there is very little thought involved. Many of the best athletes, artists, and creatives find that they do their best work from a place of stillness rather than a place of excessive thinking.

When you find yourself starting to get lost in thought, place some of that attention back into whatever it is that you are actually doing. Feel the aliveness of the world around you. Feel your own inner vibrancy and lightness. Feel the benevolent, loving peace that is always around you and inside of you. It is always there, but you can’t think your way into that realization.

The best things are beyond thought, and the greatest experiences in life often come with little thought involved. Not that all thinking is negative and terrible. Sometimes it’s just necessary to think less and act more.

Thank You For Reading

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. I hope that you have enjoyed. And a big thank you to anyone who has taken the time to read any of the other articles on this site as well. Have a great rest of your day.